VIDEO: Rats sneak into car boot and destroy Christmas presents as Peterborough neighbours call for end to pest problem

Residents on a Peterborough street are calling for action to end a growing pest problem – after rats crawled into a car boot and destroyed Christmas presents.

Neighbours living in Overland Mews, Stanground say the issues caused by rats in their street are growing – and said it was getting dangerous, with cars damaged by the rodents.

Emmy Dean, who lives on the street, said: “It has been going on for two years, and it has been getting worse and worse.

"The rats are getting into cars, and chewing through seat belts and other things. Some got in my car and chewed through Christmas presents we had brought.

" Even the ones they didn’t chew through have had to be thrown away as they have rat urine on them.

"Losing the presents is financially crippling for us. We had hidden them there while our child was at home, and it was only one night.

"My partner’s car is in the garage because of damage caused by the rats.

"Other residents have had wiring looms chewed through, power steering chewed through, personal belongings including push chairs and car seats destroyed.

“You have to bang your car before you get in, to make sure all the rats have been cleared.

"It is possible it could cause an accident, if they chew through something, or one jumps out when someone is driving.

"It has got to the point where we cannot park our cars in the car park anymore. We cannot afford to keep fixing and replacing, we are all families with young children.

"They are all over the car park, hiding in the bushes, hiding in the bins. When you open the bins, you see around 50 rats in there.

"We have spoken to Hyde Housing and the pest control team at the council about getting something done, but it is just getting worse.”

Adrian Addo, Property Team Manager at Hyde Housing said: “I’d like to apologise to our customers at Overland Mews for the issues they’re experiencing with rats – I know how distressing this can be.

“Please be assured that we’re aware of the problem and have been working with Peterborough City Council’s refuse department, our pest control contractor and our grounds maintenance team to address the issues.

“We have a full action plan in place. This includes removing hedges, as they’re used as hiding places for rats and conducting regular treatments including treating and filling in potential rat holes. We’ve also written to residents to advise them to dispose of refuse responsibly.”

A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: "We have previously been made aware of issues regarding overflowing bins in Overland Mews which was resolved after liaising with the housing association.

"An officer from our environmental health team will visit the area to reassess the situation and will work with the housing association to take any appropriate action."